Justin Langer Reveals Real Reason For LSG's Shambolic IPL 2026 Journey

Justin Langer backs LSG [Source: AFP]

LSG plunged to their fifth loss of the IPL 2026 season against Rajasthan Royals and dropped to 9th place on the points table. Amid such a horror run, head coach Justin Langer shared his insights on what went wrong with the team.

Lucknow got bowled out to just 119 runs in a 160-run chase against RR. Top order players like Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant and Aiden Markram were dismissed on ducks.

Justin Langer opens up on LSG’s struggle at Ekana

Interestingly, out of the five losses, LSG have lost three games at home. According to head coach Justin Langer, the Ekana Stadium has extra pace and bounce, which is something the batters are struggling to adapt to.

“The pitch here is very different from most of India. It’s a brilliant cricket pitch. You have pace and bounce, and we just haven’t quite adjusted to it. I thought we started off well by bowling well on it. We bowled well in the first game. We are just not adjusting to the extra pace and bounce,” Langer said in a press conference.

He explained that Ekana’s surface is very different from typical Indian pitches and compared it to Australia’s WACA-like conditions.

“We saw that we have been out to the short ball a number of times. We are not adjusting. We see a lot of wickets in India where the ball doesn’t bounce very much. This is like playing at the WACA. There is real pace and bounce. Isn’t there? You are seeing some interesting cricket being played here, and we just haven’t been able to adapt to it at this stage,” he added.

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Langer backs Rishabh Pant

Another headache for LSG in IPL 2026 is captain Rishabh Pant’s poor form. He has scored just 72 runs in his last 5 innings, including a duck against the Rajasthan Royals.

However, Justin Langer supported Pant, saying the skipper is an instinctive, attacking player who prefers to play freely rather than restrict himself. But his aggressive approach is not coming off consistently, which is one of the major issues behind his poor form.

“Yeah, I have not spoken with him yet. He wants to play with freedom. We see how he plays all his cricket. He is very instinctive. He wants to play freely. He is feeling the pinch like everyone else, and he is at a pivotal position at No. 3. He came out very aggressively against Punjab. He needed to, as we were chasing 250. But I think that’s the style of play he wants to play, and he will be as frustrated as anyone that it didn’t come off today,” Langer said. 

LSG to face KKR next

Meanwhile, LSG will next compete against KKR on Sunday, April 26, at Ekana Stadium. This could be their chance to finally get a victory at home since the Knight Riders are also struggling this year.

With just a single victory, KKR are at the bottom of the table. However, LSG will have to overcome home pitch demons to make a difference. The team has talent, but lacks execution and consistency for now.

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